Maynooth University Fined €40K Over Email Hack

Wednesday, 11 December 2024 12:09

By Martin Osborne

The compromised accounts were used in one instance to facilitate fraud, resulting in financial losses for an affected individual.

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has concluded an inquiry into a 2018 data breach at Maynooth University, imposing fines of €40,000 for violations of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.

The inquiry, initiated by the DPC in July 2019, examined a breach that occurred in November 2018.

The breach involved unauthorised access to the email accounts of university employees, with hackers gaining control of up to six accounts.

The compromised accounts were used in one instance to facilitate fraud, resulting in financial losses for an affected individual.

As part of the investigation, the DPC reviewed the university’s technical and organisational measures to secure personal data and assessed compliance with GDPR obligations.

In a statement, the DPC outlined the importance of robust data protection measures.

"It is vitally important that organisations ensure that personal data is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security, through the implementation of the necessary technical and organisational measures required under the GDPR.”

It added: “Data controllers must also ensure that they comply with their statutory obligation to notify the Data Protection Commission without undue delay once they become aware that a personal data breach has occurred.”

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